A common question we face is: What type of boat should I buy to go cruising?

I used to think that the correct answer was a heavy displacement, full keel, cutter rig, with an attached rudder and protected propeller was the answer. After meeting many cruisers who have passed through while we prepare our boat for cruising, I have noticed a bit of a trend that has changed my views.

It doesn't seem that keel, displacement, or size really matter. We have met cruisers on light displacement multihull, steel boats with hard chines, old boats, and new. The people who sail them are as varied as the boats that pass through. Each cruiser has also done a monumental amount of work to the boat in the attempt of getting it perfect for cruising.

Cruisers will work their entire journey, replacing or relocating components, sometimes even adding entirely new systems to their boats. When a cruiser retires or moves onto another boat, they often put it up for sale.

I have come to the conclusion that this is the ideal boat to buy to go cruising. Think about it for a moment, someone just spend a decade getting everything perfect for you so that all you need to do is hop in and go!

Yes, these boats tend to sell for more than the regular marina floats, but they are also completed. You could in a sense, hop in and go! The previous owner could have easily kept cruising on this very boat setup like it is.

After all this time, I now see the truth about what is the perfect cruising boat. And the answer is the boat that just got back from cruising.